Paloma
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You might have seen pictures of Alp Mora's iconic swirl pots on social media, but you might be wondering: do they live up to the hype?
The answer is yes! Hands down, this was one of the most unique rock formations I've seen on a hike. When I show pictures of this place to my friends, they always have a hard time deciphering all that's going on in them, precisely because of this uniqueness.
You might have also heard this is a brutal full-day hike. But what if I told you that with proper planning, that brutal hike becomes a short, much easier hike?
Keep reading this guide to learn exactly how to plan your Alp Mora hike, from booking bus tickets and choosing where to take the bus to timetables and all the hike details. Let's dive in!
The hike at a glance
Medium- Distance
- 4.42 miles (7.1 km), out-and-back
- Time needed
- 2.5 hours total
- Elevation gain
- 1290 ft (393 meters) up & down
- Starting point
- One of Trin bus stations: Trin, Porclis, Trin, Dorf or Trin, Quadris
- Parking
- Prau Davon Parking or Parkhaus Trin Dorf
- Cost
- Bus return 30 CHF - 20 CHF with Trin guest card
- Crowds
- Medium to High
- Sun exposure
- High
Trail overview
Area Map
Hiking Map
Difficulty
This is a medium-difficulty hike up, with an easy descent, though it will test your cardio on the way up.
Variations
You can skip the bus altogether by starting and finishing at the town of Trin, but that hike is about 18.7km long, so that's a full-day hike.
Another option is to do a loop by going farther on the mountain on the way back, like this.
How to get there
Access to Alp Mora is closed to private traffic. A bus from Trin to Purcs runs from July to September, but only on Wednesdays and Saturdays. So you will have to get to the town of Trin (step 1a or 1b) and then take the bus up the mountain (step 2)
1a By car
Drive to the town of Trin and park near either the Trin Porclis station at Prau Davon Parking or Trin Dorf at Parkhaus Trin Dorf, an underground parking lot.
1b By public transportation
Take bus 81 to Trin either from Chur if you're coming from the east, or from Ilanz if you're coming from the west.
2 Bus from Trin to Purcs
You must book your tickets in advance on their website, which unfortunately is only available in German. Printing your tickets is not mandatory to go on the bus; showing the QR code on your phone is enough.
The bus departs from several bus stops in the town of Trin: Porclis, Dorf and Quadris, following the schedule in the section below.
Practical planning
Operating hours
The upper half of the image shows the timetable for the route up to the mountain, Trin -> Purcs (beginning of the trail), while the lower half shows the timetable for the route down from the mountain, Purcs -> Trin.
You must choose a specific time slot for going up and for going down, so you will need to add two separate tickets to your basket on the website when booking.
For example, I took the 8:17 am bus from Trin Dorf up to Purcs, plus the 1:10 pm bus from Purcs down to Trin. This gave me plenty of time to enjoy the swirl pots, but I would have needed more time to complete the loop via the alternative path mentioned above.
Cost
A one-way ticket for adults costs 15 CHF, reduced to 10 CHF if you're staying in Trin and your hotel provides you with a guest card. Children over 6 must pay 10 CHF.
The trail in pictures
1 The bus ride
I took the 8:17 bus from Trin Dorf, and it was full.
The 30-minute bus ride gives you a nice panoramic view over the valley. I found the right side had an unobstructed view more often than the left.
2 Uphill to the Swirl Pots
Once you get off the bus, use the porta potty at the bus station if you need to, and continue walking in the same direction the bus came.
The trail starts pretty flat, but it quickly changes when you reach the first intersection. Turn right there and keep going uphill.
As you can see in the picture below, there was thick fog the morning I went, so I wasn't sure I'd be able to enjoy the Swirl Pots.
At the second intersection, follow the sign to the Swirl Pots (Gletschermühlen).
The whole way is uphill, not particularly technically challenging, but your cardio will feel it.
As we got to higher ground, the fog was gone, even if it was still cloudy.
After about 1.5 hours of hiking uphill, you will get the first view over a "crack" in the mountain, where the glacier mills are nested.
3 The Swirl Pots
Try to be the first at the Swirl Pots so you can have them all to yourself for a few minutes.
Most people will stop right at the beginning of the Swirl Pots, but I highly encourage you to move around, as you will get different perspectives. Definitely go down to approach them, but be careful as the surface around the Swirl Pots is slippery, and don't forget the farthest Swirl Pots too.
You can also cold plunge in these natural pools, fed by the glacier. Beware: the water is just as cold as you'd expect.
4 Down to the Bus Stop
When you've taken the views long enough, get ready to walk back the route you came. It took me about 1h10 to get back to the bus station from the swirl pots.
